The Start Of Our Travels
by QueenTargaryen
Summary: It's been two years after the war and Sasuke has not returned from his journey. Sakura's unconditional love hasn't changed. She knows he might never return her feelings, and she doesn't expect him to. All she wants is to know that he is happy and at peace. But when they meet on the road, she encounters a different Sasuke. Post Sakura Hidden, Pre Sarada/Pre Gaiden.
1. Chapter 1

SAKURA

"Maybe next time…. Thank you…"

I often find myself daydreaming about those words, about that time, about that… promise? I think about them too, trying to find different meaning, a hidden message, another interpretation. Could I have misunderstood then? Maybe the hope I saw in his eyes was a mirage when in fact there was nothing more than rejection.

It's been two years and score after the war and a lot of things are different. The village looks shiny and modern in a way never seen before. Kakashi-sensei, as the sixth Hokage, has done wonders in the village, we hardly ever see him anymore he is so busy. Sai has been dating Ino for months now, and he smiles all the time, not that fake creepy one, a genuine one, the contagious type. Naruto… well Naruto is now married, has taken a position as a sensei in the academy, he is the one that matured most of us all.

But somethings haven't change, maybe evolved, matured in a way, but definitely not changed. _A girl's feelings can't change that easily;_ I believe I said. I have long shunned any expectations of romance or reciprocation, I just… I just want to know that he is happy, I want to know he is okay. I admire him for wanting to make himself a better person, makes me want to do the same, so I do the only thing I know how to do: I work… hard.

From time to time people tell me they are concerned about me. Ino constantly tells me that I work too much, that I should make some time for other _activities_ , Tsunade-shishou tells me, in not so many words, to not end up like her, my parents... well my parents try to set me up with anyone, they literally have no standards, I shrug at the memories of their last contender.

All of this crosses my mind in the ten minutes it takes to make my way from my office to Hokage tower. I knock on the door and walk into Kakashi-sensei's office, he is behind his desk and he looks up from some sort of book, then he tries to hide it in a drawer, old habits die hard I guess.

"Oh Sakura, good to see you, I've been expecting you" Kakashi says "Looking lovely as always I see..."

I batter my lashes and wave him off with my hand pretending to be embarrassed, he always jokes like that the old man.

"eheem Ok, I've ask you here because I have a mission for you" He says, trying to look proper all of the sudden. "I understand you have been busy with the creation of the Children's Clinic, but this is of high importance, there is a small village in the Land of Waves, they have been suffering from an unknown disease, there's speculation that someone may be poisoning the water sources but it's unconfirmed and well… unlikely. That's where you come in, you need to go to the village and treat the ill, verify the water sources for poison or contamination and determine the cause of the illness, I'm sure with your reputation you can put the minds of the residents at ease, I'm not going to lie, it may take some time though. This will be your first solo mission so it's a big deal..."

"I'll do it. When should I leave?" I say without a second thought interrupting something Kakashi was about to say.

"Tomorrow morning" He says, his eyes look like his smiling under his mask. "I had a whole speech prepared to convince you if you hesitated, I should have known you'd be so eager to help"

"Of course I am! I am very excited! but... are you sure? I'm sure there are other medics with less occupations and more experience available"

"I have faith in you, besides I have to do something to make sure my ship doesn't sink"

"What... what does that mean?" I asked confused but I'm flattered by the faith thing.

"You'll see" He winks at me. "now if you please I have an old favorite to read and Lady Tsunade wants to give you some pointers before your mission."

I leave early the next morning, I am honestly a little hung over from my discussion/drinking competition with Tsunade-shishou last night, but my excitement keeps me going. I don't wait for anyone to come and wish me good luck, Naruto wouldn't wake up this early, and I really don't want to bother my parents. So I just leave, it's a 4-day journey to the Land of the Waves, I'll have plenty of time to rest on the way, maybe I'll even send a note with Katsuyu-sama to everyone later, now I really just want get a head start.

I have been on the road for about 5 hours now, I stand on a tree branch to drink some water and perhaps I'll eat my packed lunch. But then I sense a familiar chakra approaching, a chakra I haven't felt in years, of course I am not a sensory type so I can't be certain, but just as I'm starting to think about _that_ person, something on the ground catches my attention, some kind of bird maybe?

"Hey little guy" I approach the bird, it's a Hawk I notice, a little one at that, and with a badly damaged twisted wing. "What happened to you?" I keep talking to it, who knows maybe it's a ninja and it would reply.

"Don't worry, I fix you up little guy" I focus chakra on my hands to attempt to fix the bones on this bird, and of all things the little ingrate...Bites me.

"You little..." I'm getting angry now "aaarg stay still" I'm losing my patience here.

"Maybe you should just put it out of his misery" A familiar voice says behind me. It startles me a little, but then again I did felt his presence before didn't I? I knew it was him, so I just straighten myself and try not to seem too flustered.

"That is such a mean thing to say... Sasuke-kun"


	2. Chapter 2

**SASUKE**

I saw a cherry blossom tree today, it was lovely, it reminded me of y

I've been thinking of you…

I'm tired now, I want to go h…

Garuda nudges me, it has been a while since I summoned him with the intention of sending a letter, he's probably getting impatient.

"I changed my mind, sorry" I tell him. I pet his head before making the release sign to make him disappear.

I toss the three notes I wrote in a moment of weakness. I shouldn't, I really shouldn't contact anyone before I have been absolved of all my transgressions. But on days like these it's hard to maintain my resolve, when everything reminds me of them… of her, the gentle spring breeze, the smell of the rain, the green of the leaves, and every single damn cherry blossom tree, she is everywhere.

It's been getting worse lately, ever since that time she was kidnapped, since I ran to her rescue as fast as my legs would take me, since I last saw her in that lab. I literally can't stop thinking about her. But what I did after, the rage, the hate, the horrible darkness in me that told me to burn everyone and everything in that lab to the ground even when she had already managed to incapacitate them, showed me that I am not ready, I am not at peace, that there is still a lot of hate I have to get rid of. And until then, I can't show my face to them.

I can't dwell on the ties of a failed past. I can only hope for a brighter future, so I'll keep to my travels, going from place to place, country to country, village to village, trying to rediscover the goodness in the world, to regain my faith in humanity, and slowly repay my sins.

I do all kinds of odd jobs, from rebuilding houses, to farming, to defending the people from the occasional rouge shinobi, whatever the people need from me I'll do, and I'll just keep hoping it's enough.

I have lost count of how long I have been traveling. I find myself in a village close to the coast of the Land of Rivers, when I'm approached by an old lady I assisted a couple of months back at delivering a package to her family in Land of the Waives.

"They told me you were here again" She tells me, seating next to me in the bench I've been resting at.

"I'm only passing by" I tell her.

"Here" She hands me a little box of what I assume are some sort of pastries.

"That's not necessary, but thank you" I've never had a like for sweets.

"Oh please, please take them"

I give up at her insistence and take the little box from her hands, I might give it to some children later on.

"I…. I have something to ask of you, young man" She then proceeds to tell me how some of her family in Land of the Waives has been affected by some disease, causing their eyes to bleed.

"I'm not a medic" I tell her, there is not much I can do to help since I know next to nothing about medicine.

"That's not all, about three children, some of the firsts to be affected by the disease, have disappeared, then there is this strange guy in the mountains, nobody ever saw him before, they think his been poisoning the…"

"That proves nothing" I interrupt.

"But… you could investigate, if he is a rouge shinobi, then you can do something right?" She asks me, her voice full of desperation.

In the end I agree, even if everything is hearsay, there might be something I could do, helping the sick has never been my strong suit, that was always her, the caring one, even before she was a medic nin. _She will make an amazing mother someday_ … I dismiss that thought immediately. I can't allow myself to think of such things, it never leads to a good place.

I make my way to the destination, practicing my sensory skills to keep myself entertained, feeling all the chakra signatures in the forest, a halfhearted attempt at keep mi mind away from certain topics, lots of wild life and a person, a civilian based on the low level of chakra or a shinobi quite skilled at hiding his signature. There's a little flare in the chakra signature and I'm certain, it is a shinobi and my stomach starts getting warm, all of the sudden my body is moving on his own towards the signature I seem to recognize so well, and then all I see is pink…

She's on her knees healing a hawk that's doesn't seem to want to be healed. She's grabbing him by the wings, _the poor creature is never going to stay still that way you dumb girl._ Her hair is shorter, her legs are longer, and she's way curvier that before, she looks so delicate and feminine, I can smell her rain and flowers scent all the way from where I'm standing. She's by herself, I notice, I don't feel anyone else close by. I should go… I really should just go before she sees me, but I can't seem to make my legs move, I'm frozen, and I can't take my eyes of her.

Her frustration with the animal makes me chuckle, I lean my back against a tree cross my arms finally giving up, I can't think of any good reason why I should leave anymore and honestly I'm quite amused at her losing her patience.

"Maybe you should just put it out of his misery" I say in a playful tone. _Since when do I sound like that?_

"That is such a mean thing to say… Sasuke-kun" She responds, her voice does things to my stomach. She didn't turn to see me as she replied, way too fast for someone who didn't seem to notice I was here at first.

She stands up and finally turns to see me, and I realize this is the first time in years I have seen her up close. She looks breath taking. None of my memories have done her justice.

 **SAKURA**  
He's standing with his back against a nearby tree, he's looking at me, amused, I notice, with a smirk on his face that makes my heart skip a beat, he must have noticed my previous predicament.

"Hn… I'm just been realistic here… Sa-ku-ra" He says, his smirk turning into something resembling a smile, the way my names rolls of his tongue gives me goosebumps.

My brain has gone completely black! I have imagined this moment for years now, there's a thousand questions I have been wanting to ask him, and yet none come to mind.

He walks towards me, and I swear I have been standing here like an idiot for an eternity. He kneels in front of the hawk and starts petting his head.

"There…" His husky, smoky voice sends chills down my spine. The stupid bird seems affected as well because now it's all quiet and happy.

I start healing the bird before it starts moving again, and just like that in a couple of minutes it flies off, we both watch it fly before slowly looking at each other.

"What are you doing here?" Sasuke asks me.

"Mmmm… I was just about to eat lunch, I'm on my way to Land of the Waives, I'm on a mission, A-Rank, there's a disease affecting a little village, I going to heal the villagers and find out if there's something contaminating the water sources there has been some concerns…." I rambling now, God what is happening to me?

"Hn… A-Rank huh?" Sasuke says, looking in the opposite direction of me. "I am sorry to inform you, but you have failed your mission"

I am mesmerized by his face, so It takes me a while to register what he said. "Wait…WHAAAAT…!"

"A-Rank missions are secret, divulging the information is an automatic fail" He responds, still not looking at me, but I can hear humor on his voice now.

"Giving out intel like that, you're putting the village in danger... But that is an interesting coincidence"

"Oh! Come on, I trust you Sasuke-kun" I say playfully, and because I really do, but apparently he doesn't like this, he looks at me with a serious look on his face. "Anyway… what is an interesting coincidence?"

"Hn" He stays silent for a moment, like he is debating whether or not to answer. "I'm happen to be heading there myself" He says finally looking at the ground and then away from me.

I didn't hear what he said, I am still hypnotized by his face, it's the same handsome face I have known and loved for most of my life, only now it looks harder, more masculine, he is so tall and broad, and my heart seems to want to break out of my chest.

"I'm sorry… what?" I say… GOD I'm an idiot

"Hn" He looks at me and makes that almost smile again, my heart stops, I think he's doing this on purpose.

He turns his back on me and starts walking slowly.

"Follow me" He says, and I do, all of the sudden we are twelve and no time has passed. I haven't changed one bit.


	3. Chapter 3

**SAKURA**

I follow Sasuke into a small tea house, literally in the middle of nowhere. He removes his coat and kusanagi and sits on one of the tables. Out of all the things I expected to encounter in this mission, Sasuke seating in a tea house, looking so at ease, was definitely not one of them.

He looks at me, one eyebrow raised in questioning, I realized that once again I've been staring, he then motions me to take the seat in front of him, his face looks like he finds something funny.

"Emmm… what are" I begin to ask, but I get distracted when he motions for the waitress.

"You said you were about to eat lunch" He answers my question before I ask it. I'm stunned that he remembered, I was rambling and I barely remember having told him.

The waitress comes and takes our order, and again before I can say anything he orders for me.

"One order of anko dumplings and two cups of tea, please" His voice is soft, almost none of that cool uninterested, arrogant, tone I've always associated Sasuke with... _almost._

The waitress doesn't seem to have heard, too busy admiring the beautiful face of the man seating I'm front of me I guess, Sasuke clears his throat to regain her focus.

"… Sure thing…" She finally responds and takes her leave.

I can't help but to giggle, I'm surprised at how amusing I find the interaction, at some point in the past I'm sure I could have been extremely annoyed, _I guess I have changed after all._

"What?" Sasuke asks, a hint of humor in his voice.

"Oh nothing, only I see you are still as popular as always" I say with a teasing tone.

"Hn… I guess you would know" He responds, teasing me too, then gives me one of his trademark smirks. My face is burning and I bet I'm blushing like crazy. _Maybe not so much then._

"So… you didn't tell me, why are you going to Land of Waives?" I say, trying to change the subject before we get to how much of a fan girl I still am.

"Same as you I guess" He answers

"You heard about the disease?"

"An old lady asked me to come and take a look, she believes some newcomer is poisoning the people of the village" He says, his attention is now at the window.

"Mmmm Kakashi-sensei told me about that, he says it is quite unlikely, I am honestly more concern about an epidemic. I don't have much details about the disease only that it affects the eyes, Tsunade-shishou thinks it may be some kind of new virus"

"Hn… I guess we'll find out once we get there" He tells me

"…We?"

"Yes we… We are going to the same place, it makes sense that we go together… unless you don't want to…" He tells me, he's looking at me once again, his expression unreadable.

"Oh of course I want to Sasuke-kun! I just assumed that… am… never mind…" I reply, I sort of expected him to leave it to me, or have to go somewhere else. "It would be like we are on mission together" I say, grinning like crazy.

"Hn" He makes that characteristic non-answer noise of him, then looks at the window once again, but I swear this time, he did smile a little.

The dumplings and tea arrive to our table, so we proceed to eat in a comfortable silence. I don't know what to make out of Sasuke's attitude, if it wasn't because I saw them first hand, I would think it was one of those clones again, _Maybe he is..._ Then again he reminds me of the Sasuke our old genin days and there is no way I wouldn't recognize _him._

"Are you coming or not?" He tells me, I've been so deep in thought that I didn't realize he stood up.

"ah… yes"

* * *

We head toward our destination, walking at a much slower pace than what I am accustomed to on missions. I take advantage of this unusually talkative Sasuke and start asking all sorts of questions about his travels, which he answers, not with a lot of details, but painting a clear enough picture.

I can't put to words how happy I am, to finally be able to hear his voice. All of his stories are extremely interesting, and he has a lot of them, he's helped so many people and I'm so proud of him.

"That's amazing Sasuke-kun, you have been to a lot of places" I tell him

"Two years is a long time Sakura"

"I guess it has been two years I haven't noticed hehe" I say scratching the back of my head and looking the other way. _Liar_

"Hn… I'm not surprised, time goes by fast when you're overworking" He says casually.

"How did you…" Then it hits me, he has been in contact with the others. I can't help it, the small feeling of disappointment that settles in my stomach. He didn't try to contact me even once, and I was okay with that, but I didn't know he was in contact with anyone else. I shouldn't feel this way; I feel horrible by doing so. _He is here now, that's what counts, he's finally himself again, stop being so selfish._

"Letters from Kakashi" He says after a while. "I sort of… asked him to keep an eye on you" My head snaps back to look at him, his blushing, I can't believe I just heard him say that.

"That's… nice Sasuke-kun" I say, and I can't help but to smile, my previous jealousy quickly forgotten. _He must mean "you" as in "you guys" stupid._

"Do think too much of it" He replies, looking the other way, _See?!_

We have been talking and walking for hours, it's becoming dark now and I'm so tired, too many emotions in one day, but I don't want to rest, I was this moment to last forever; If this was a genjutsu I would happily stay in it.

"You're tired" Sasuke says, and it's not a question.

"What makes you say that"

"Hn…It like the 1000th time you've yawn" he responds

"I'm sorry, I had an early morning" even though it's not the only reason.

"We could make camp" He tells me and I finally agree.

We get everything ready, he lights a fire and I set my stuff against a tree and pull out my blanket, we are only resting for a couple of hours so that's all I need.

Then all of the sudden he seats next to me! _Is he planning on sleeping here?!_ He is at arm's length, a friendly distance, it still makes my heart beat so hard.

"So Sasuke-kun when was the last time you…*yawn*… were in Land of Waives?…*yawn*

"Go to sleep Sakura"

"I don't want to.."

"Yes you do, you can barely keep your eyes open"

"Mmmhmm I'm kind of afraid you'll be gone by the time I wake up" I really am, I'm afraid that by the time I wake up Sasuke will be cold again, and I don't think I could handle that.

"I'll be here when you wake up" He tells me, I look over at him and he is looking at me, I didn't realize we were so close, our noses almost touching, I can't stop looking at his eyes, I'm hypnotized by his mismatched eyes, I can smell him, his familiar earthy and smoky scent, I can feel his breath on my face too, my eyes are about to close, I know where this is going but I can't seem to have control over my body. Then his eyes widen for a second, his month drops open and he abruptly turns the other way, I can see a faint blush on the back of his neck, I can feel my face burning too so I turn the other way as well clutching my blanket close to my chest.

"Good night… Sakura" Sasuke tells me, in a soft tone of voice I don't think I've ever heard him do.

"Good night Sasuke-kun" My stomach is doing piruettes and I don't think I'll going to be able to sleep now. But the exhaustion quickly wins and I end up falling asleep.

* * *

"Sakura wake up… we should get going now" Sasuke says gently.

"Okay… give me a minute" I say. I'm usually grumpy in the mornings, to put it lightly, but this morning, after realizing nothing of yesterday was dream, it's impossible to be in a bad mood.

I stand up and I can feel the grin on my face. Sasuke has already turned off the fire and looks ready to go. I stretch my arms and my blanket falls to the floor. I bend over to pick it up but a hand is already there and it bumps into mine. I'm just thinking of how considerate Sasuke is, when I see it… I can't breathe… I feel my stomach drop to my feet… I think I'm going to be sick….

A silver band with a small Uchiha symbol on it… On the right ring finger. A wedding ring.

* * *

Thank you so much for reading TSOOT! I apologize for taking so long to post this, but I realized I made a mistake… Sasuke lost his left arm! I forgot wedding rings go on the left! On some cultures though the engagement ring goes on the left then gets transfer to the right after the wedding so I decided to keep it like this. Thanks again for reading.


	4. Chapter 4

SASUKE

"Hn… I'm just being realistic here Sakura" I tell her, of course I'm not being serious, but her face tells me she might have thought I was.

I turn my attention to the little hawk, kneel next to it and I pet his tiny head, just the way Garuda likes it and this little one likes it too I see.

"There" I say and Sakura is quick to kneel and start heeling the hawk. It takes her only a few seconds to heal it's wing completely, I have no clue if it's a similar process to healing a human, but nonetheless I'm impressed. The little one flies off before I have a chance to comment on it.

I turn to look at Sakura now, and I can't help but to eye her from head to toe. She looks so different now, her hair is shorter and neatly cut, framing her face beautifully, her face looks slimmer, her lips fuller, she's wearing a long red shirt, similar to the one she wore back when we were genin, with a black obi tied on her middle emphasizing her tiny waist and her fuller breasts and the shortest shorts I've ever seen a women wear, her legs are long and creamy. My throat goes dry. I look at her face one more time and I see something that hasn't changed. Her large green eyes, her beautiful green eyes.

"What are you doing here?" I ask, since we are pretty far from Konoha.

"Mmmm… I was just about to eat lunch, I'm on my way to Land of the Waives, I'm on a mission, A-Rank, there's a disease affecting a little village, I going to heal the villagers and find out if there's something contaminating the water sources there has been some concerns about a new virus and I want to make sure it doesn't turn into an epidemic ya know?" She says fast and without pausing for breath, she looks nervous for some reason.

"Hn…A rank huh?" I remember reading in one of Kakashi's letters about Sakura becoming jounin. "I am sorry to inform you, but you have failed your mission" I say turning the other way to avoid laughing at her expression.

"Wait…WHAAAAT…!" She says… loudly.

"A-Rank missions are secret, divulging the information is an automatic fail" I say in a serious tone. "Giving out intel like that, you're putting the village in danger…. But that is an interesting coincidence"

"Oh! Come on, I trust you Sasuke-kun" She responds with a dismissive waive of her hand. She still trusts me, like it's nothing, like I've never hurt her.

"Anyway… what is an interesting coincidence?" She continues before I have a chance to comment on it.

I know I shouldn't say anything, in fact I should just turn around and leave, with Konoha already on this case and sending their best medic to the village, my assistance is no longer needed. That is the right thing to do.

"Hn… I'm sort of heading there myself…" I say quietly, looking at the ground embarrassed of myself for not being able to stick to my convictions.

I turn to look at her and she is staring at me intently, a light pink blush spreading through her cheeks. I wonder what she is thinking right now that's making her bashful, then I hear it, the growling from her stomach, I have to contain my laugh one more time. I don't remember the last time I was this amused.

All of my previous thoughts are easily forgotten, I seem to remember a small tea house close by with what some people describe as the best syrup coated anko dumplings… Sakura's Favorite.

* * *

I guide Sakura toward the Tea house, then I seat on the table closest to the window. She's just standing there, with a confused look on her face. I look at her and she blushes at the eye contact, I motion for her to take a seat and she does.

"Emmm…What are…" She is about to ask, it's pretty obvious I think.

"You said you were about to eat lunch" I reply without letting her finish, she's staring at me again, with a silly smile on her face and a light blush on her.

The waitress finally arrives and I order for the both of us, I turn to look at Sakura again and the waitress is still standing there just looking at me, I clear my throat loudly and the embarrassed waitress takes her leave. Then as soon as we are alone again Sakura bursts into laughter.

"What?" I ask.

"Oh nothing, only I see you are still as popular as always" She says between giggles, teasing me for whatever the waitress was doing when I wasn't looking.

"Hn… I guess you would know" I say giving her a small smile, the one I know she likes, just to see if I can make her blush again. It worked.

"So… you didn't tell me, why are you going to Land of Waives?" She tells me, her face still red.

"Same as you I guess" I tell her.

"You heard about the disease?" She tells me, her expression completely serious now.

I nod. "An old lady asked me to come and take a look, she believes some newcomer is poisoning the people of the village"

"Mmmm Kakashi-sensei told me about that, he says it is quite unlikely, I am honestly more concern about an epidemic. I don't have much details about the disease only that it affects the eyes, Tsunade-shishou thinks it may be some kind of new virus"

"Hn… I guess we'll find out once we get there"

"…We?" She asks me again, confused.

"Yes we… We are going to the same place; it makes sense that we go together…" I tell her slowly as if I'm explaining it to a small child just to tease her. "Unless you don't want to…" giving her the option to reject my company... she has every reason to.

"Oh of course I want to Sasuke-kun!" She says. _Damn it._

"I just assumed that… am… never mind… It would be like we are on mission together!" She finishes and flashes me the loveliest smile.

Her last statement weights down on me, a reminder of what I've missed. I drink my tea in silence while Sakura eats her dumplings, neither of us say anything, she seems lost in her thoughts as well.

I pay the waitress and prepare to leave. She doesn't seem to have notice I've been standing here, ready to leave, for a few minutes. "Are you coming or not?"

"ah… yes"

Even though we still have 3 days of travel before we reach Land of the Waives, we walk at the slowest pace possible. Sakura tells me what has been going on in the village, she tells me about Naruto's wedding, that they were sad that I missed it but they all understand, she tells me about how she created the Children's Mental Health Center and how now most of the hidden villages want to do the same and how she was supposed to start a tour to help but got interrupted by the Kido incident, she also tells me she's embarrassed for being taken hostage by Kido and apologizes for interrupting my travels to try and save her, I try to remind her that she saved herself and that it doesn't matter but she doesn't seem to accept it.

Then she starts asking questions about my travels and I answer to the best of my ability, I haven't had a conversation this long in years, she seems genuinely interested in everything I say, happy even, and I can't help but to give her what she asks for.

"I was just in Ame" I tell her. "I was there to meet a young boy who knew Itachi, quite well apparently, he kept telling me how much of a good person Itachi was, even during his time with the akatsuki"

"But you already knew that" She says with a sad smile on her face.

"Well yes, but it's still nice to hear it from someone else" I say "After that I went to rice country to find a place Itachi used as a hideout, the view was breathtaking, rice plantations as far as the eyes can see, at dusk it looked like the sun was melting into the earth, I spent a couple of weeks there assisting the farmers, then… well I came here"

"That's amazing Sasuke-kun, you've been to a lot of places"

It isn't until now that I realize how long I've been on the road or just how much of my journey has been about Itachi.

Sakura's yawn brings me out of my thoughts. I must have finally bore her with my stories. But I can see dark circles under her eyes, she does looks exhausted.

"You're tired"

"What makes you say that?" she replies in between another yawn. _God this girl…_

"Hn… it's like the 1000th time you've yawn" I tell her, trying not to sound like I'm not making fun of her.

"I'm sorry, I had an early morning"

"We could make camp" It looks like a good enough place, flat, enough trees to take cover even though I haven't seen other people on the road for a couple of hours.

She makes a face at my suggestion and I remember just how much Sakura hated sleeping on the woods, maybe she'd rather look for and inn.

"Sure, this place is perfect" She says while removing her obi and weapons punch and setting them inside a scroll.

"What are you doing that for? Shinobi should be ready at all times, what if we are attacked during the night?"

"Do what? get comfortable? Please, like anyone would mess with me" She as she winks at me… I'm speechless

"I'll be right back"

She returns after a couple of minutes holding some pieces of wood. "Its getting kind of cold, do you mind?" she says while she signals to her lips trying to imitate my katon. I do what she tells me, arranging the kindle and doing a small fire ball to light it.

"That's amazing Sasuke-kun!" She says way to excited over a small jutsu. "I've always found fire styles interesting"

"Hn… pyromaniac"

"Heeey!" She says with a small pout and then giggles a little bit.

"We should probably get something for dinner"

"Oh! I got that covered!" She tells me while she pulls a bento box from another one of her scrolls. "It's just something simple I prepared to eat at lunch"

The bento box contains a variety of rice balls, fish cutlets, a couple of sandwiches and vegetables arranged skillfully and beautifully in various levels. It's so much food I want to ask if she made all of this for herself but I don't, last thing I need is accidentally calling her fat or something added to my list of transgressions.

"So… how is it?" She asks.

"Hn, it's the best meal I've had in a long time" I answer honestly. I've been surviving on game or things I buy to eat on the road. I don't remember my last home cooked meal.

"I'm so glad! Naruto always complains when he eats my food" She tells me.

"What did you expect from the loser? So much ramen has probably burned off his taste buds" I say.

"Thank you Sasuke-kun" She says, and she gives me the sweetest smile ever. It's so easy to make her happy.

We finish eating and go to sleep, both of us reclined on the same tree, our shoulders almost touching. Well Sakura goes to sleep, I stay up all night thinking of all the times I had this girl next to me and didn't think much of it, of all the times during my travels I wish I had her next to me and of all the other times I've pushed her away.

I don't deserve to stand next to her, but I can't bring myself to leave, I am that selfish.

I think about her smile, the way her eyes seem to sparkle when she looks at me, and the way she blushes when I tease her. After everything I've put her through and after disappearing for two years there is a thought I can't get rid of.

Sakura still loves me…


	5. Chapter 5

**SASUKE**

Sakura has only been sleeping for a few hours when the sun comes up. I'm feeling anxious now, I don't know if it is for Sakura's company or my subconscious telling me I should to get back on the road but I need to do something…now.

I reach for Sakura, intending grab her arm and nudge her gently, _I wonder if her skin is as soft as it looks._ But I refrain myself, I remember how anytime Naruto woke her up she'd punch him through the forest, she has never punched me… but still.

"Sakura… wake up" I say gently in lieu of touching her like I wanted. "We should get going now"

"Okay…just give me a minute" She answers and I do. I give her some space while a turn off the fire and wrap kusanagi around my back.

Sakura woke up and started stretching a couple of minutes later, she looks lovely with her disheveled hair and sleepy eyes. Is this the first time I'm seeing her waking up? Doesn't seem like it, I have half a mind to turn on my sharingan and keep this view forever in my mind.

She drops her blanket to the ground and I automatically grab for it, Sakura did the same but slower, and she ended up touching my hand. It feels like an electric current just went through me, I feel the back of my neck burning up. She immediately retracts her hand; _I think she felt it too_.

I look at her face, but instead of the cute blush I was expecting, I find her wide eyes and pale face, looking at me as if she's seen a ghost.

"I'm sorry…here" I say handing her the blanket.

"emm… Thank you Sasuke" She looks hesitant to grab it, as if she was bitten and she's afraid of it happening again. "I… I need another minute"

"Sakura, what happened? Are you ok?" I don't know what's going on with her. _Is it because I touched her?_ She looks shocked, scared even. I feel guilty, I don't even know the reason but it must've been something I did.

"Yes… just… just leave me alone for a moment please…" She says, looking at the ground, then walking a little further into the woods.

 ** _SAKURA_**

 _Don't cry… Don't cry… Don't you dare to f*cking cry_

I'm leaning against a tree; I'm trying so hard no to cry. I am only some meters away from where I left Sasuke, so any noise I make he might be able to hear it.

I have a lump in my throat. I feel like all my dreams and hopes have been shattered and I really have no reason to. I thought had given up on those dreams. I had told myself so many times before, if Sasuke were to find someone during his travels, I'd be happy for him. Because it meant that he had finally healed, that he is finally at peace with himself, that the curse of hatred has been completely broken at last.

I knew Sasuke didn't see me that way, I knew he never thought about me romantically. I guess there was always a small part of me that thought that if Sasuke ever opened that part of him to someone, that someone would have been me. But that is not the case, and I guess that small part of me had to die for me to finally be able to move on.

 _But the way he was acting yesterday._ _He seemed… interested almost. And why didn't he tell us? Why didn't he tell me? He did get my hopes up a little yesterday, that or my romantic fantasies have finally gotten the best of me._

Sasuke-kun has always been a very private person, it kind of makes sense he didn't think me important enough to say something.

It doesn't matter anymore. I have to compose myself and go back to Sasuke, I have to be what he needs me to, a good teammate and friend. This was just a moment of weakness. I will always love Sasuke, all I want is his happiness, nothing else matters.

 _Maybe he thinks I'll freak out if he tells me…_ I have to promise myself right now to be a good friend for Sasuke-kun, I have to show him I am supportive, even if it hurts. I'll ask him about her too, she must be a wonderful person if she got Sasuke-kun to fall in love with her.

A picture of red hair and glasses flushed through my brain _, I wonder if that's her… Karin I think her name is. I can't believe I lost to her_ … NO I can't think like that! I have to understand I was never any competition.

"Everything ok?" Sasuke asks when I finally go back to camp, I can see the concern on his eyes, I must have acted like crazy before.

"Yeah, I just needed to… freshen up…am... sorry I'm always a bit grumpy in the mornings" I say sounding terribly unconvincing. "I'm ready to go if you are"

He looks at me confused, and like he doesn't quite believe my explanation and I can't blame him, I am a terrible liar, but he still agrees and we make our way again, this time on the trees, we go slightly faster than yesterday but still slow for shinobis.

"So… no 100 questions today?" Sasuke asks, breaking the silence.

"mmmhm… did my questions bothered you yesterday?" I ask

"No… not exactly"

"Really? you used to say I exasperated you when I talked too much"

"Well am I saying it now?!" He says, now sounding irritated, I can't help but to laugh at how quick is Sasuke to lose his patience.

"Okay okay… I'm sorry Sasuke-kun… So, have you talked to Naruto at all?"

"…Yeah, he wrote me a letter about a month ago" Sasuke-kun says.

"Yeah? That's good, he really misses you a lot, even with the way everything turned out I think there is a part of him that thinks he failed at bringing you back"

"Hn… and you?"

"And me? I'm just happy you're happy"

"Hn, that is not what I'm asking" He says, turning his face the other way, I can the tips of his ears go a little bit red. "Do you still miss me?" he finally asks.

"Ano… What?!" _WHAT!? Isn't this a little inappropriate for a … for him?_ "O…of course I do Sasuke-kun, all the time…" _This sounds so bad_ "you know like Kakashi-sensei says, you never really stop missing your friends" _There, that's better._

"Tch, is that all there is then?" He turns to look at me, eyes narrowing as if trying to see something behind my eyes.

"Wh… what do you mean… Sasuke-kun?" He is so close to my face now, I didn't even realize we stopped, I instinctually take a step back and find myself trapped between a tree and Sasuke-kun. _What is happening…_

 _"_ Nothing…" Sasuke says, looking slightly irritated, he jumps to the next branch and goes ahead, it takes me a couple of seconds to regain proper brain function and catch up to him.

"You know, he told me" He says a few moments later. "In the letter"

"He told you what?" _Baka Naruto what did he tell him now…_

"He said… a lot of things" He chuckles a little, and oh my god it is the sweetest sound I've ever heard. "But one in particular, he said that my desire to protect the village from the shadows reminded you of my childhood dream of becoming chief of the Konoha Police Department"

"Oh yeah, I remember that conversation, what about it?"

"You guys do that a lot, talk about me?" He asks, turning to me and flushing me the cutest smirk ever, this is not where I thought the conversation was going.

"Hmp we don't do it that often, don't flatter yourself" He looks like he is teasing me again. _Arrogant._

"Tch, Okay" he chuckles again and then turns serious. "But, how did you know? That I wanted to be the chief of police?"

"Mhmm you told me" I say trying to think back. "You don't remember?" He shakes his head no. "We were what? Five years old? I was trying to force feed a stray cat, that turned out to an Uchiha ninja cat, you were trying to explain it to me, I guess I didn't listen to reason back then either, we ended up talking about your family and the military police, you told me that was your dream, to protect the village" _I think that's when I started to fall in love with Sasuke-kun._

"Only you would remember something like that" He says after a moment of silence.

"I have really good memory" I explain. _Specially when it comes to Sasuke._

I've been thinking of writing a SasuSaku fic where Sasuke meets Charasuke (Road to Ninja Sasuke), but I'm out of ideas, any suggestions?

Thanks for reading.


	6. Chapter 6

**SASUKE**

Sakura was gone for about 10 minutes before she finally returned, there is a hint of sadness in her eyes, and she looks embarrassed for some reason.

"Everything Ok?" I ask her.

"Yeah, I just needed to… freshen up… am… sorry I'm always a bit grumpy in the mornings" I already knew that. And freshen up that sounds like something a reasonable thing to do in the mornings, but there is something in her tone of voice that tells me she might be lying, still I don't question it, I just nod my head and motion for her to follow me.

We go on the tree branches now, it's faster this way. My mind keeps going back to the look in her eyes this morning, _She's so quiet now_. I am almost a 100% sure Sakura is still in love with me, the thought gives me a strange feeling of pride, almost like it's bursting through my chest. Still the way she acted this morning? It makes no sense. It couldn't have been because I touched her, last night we almost… we almost kissed, and she seemed fine with that, I was the one that stopped it, _now I wish I hadn't._

I feel like I should ask her what that was about, but I want to give her privacy, whatever it is she would tell me if it was important. Maybe yesterday was just a ghost of her previous feelings mixed with exhaustion, and this morning she finally realized who she was talking to. Still the silence is too much for me. _I have to say something, anything_.

"So… no 100 questions today?" I say the first that comes to my mind.

"mmmmhm… did my questions bothered you?" She answers

"No… not exactly" I answer, because it was not her questions that bothered me, but my lack of ability to answer properly.

"Really? You used to say I exasperated you when I talked too much"

 _I know I was a jerk in the past, I don't need a reminder._ "Well am I saying it now?!" I tell her, a little harsher than I intended. _Nice people skills Sasuke_.

"Ok, ok… I'm sorry Sasuke-kun" She responds sounding mildly amused, like it didn't affect her at all. "So, have you talked to Naruto at all?"

"…Yeah, he wrote me a letter about a month ago" I tell her after a little thought.

"Yeah? That's good, he really misses you a lot, even with the way everything turned out I think there is a part of him that thinks he failed at bringing you back" She says, looking at the floor.

I had a feeling Naruto felt that way, but it isn't over I could still go back if I wanted too. To the place where I am missed. _Does she miss me too?_

"Hn… and you?" I ask before I have time to think about it.

"And me? I'm just happy you're happy"

"Hn, that is not what I'm asking" _That's not what I want to know._ "Do you still miss me?" I mutter, a little embarrassed to be asking this but I already did.

"Ano… What?!" She says like I've caught her by surprise "O…of course I do Sasuke-kun, all the time…" _That's what I wanted to hear_ "you know, like Kakashi-sensei says, you never really stop missing your friends" _nope not that._

"Tch, is that all there is then?" I stopped walking to look her in the eye, _I have to know._

"Wh… what do you mean… Sasuke-kun?" I take a step closer to her, invading her personal space, her flowers and rain smell is driving me crazy, she blushed crimson, her body language tells me to step away, but her eyes say to get closer. _So confusing._

 _"_ Nothing…" I say after a moment, disappointed I didn't find what I was looking for.

We continue talking about Naruto and the letters I've received, a way bigger number than the ones I've sent. She says she remembers things I've told her when we were kids, things I have no recollection from. It makes me think of much I have taken this girl for granted. _I won't anymore._

This is how we spend the rest of the morning, we talked for some time, then stay quiet for some too. She's not acting like her normal self and I don't like that. Of course it's been so long she may have changed, this could be normal for all I know. But I have a feeling something is not right.

And then that other topic, it was so contradictory, I feel like her eyes are saying she loves me and her words are saying "we are just friends". I don't know why that bothers me. It would be completely normal, I've never shown interest in been more than friends with her, it's only normal she has moved on. But I was so sure last night.

"Here" She says, handing over some kind of mud balls in a tissue.

"Egh… What is this?" I say, and she obviously takes offence in my so clear disgust.

"They are food pills Sasuke" She says rolling her eyes. "I packed them for the road, we haven't eaten all morning"

"Hn… no thanks, I rather wait until next store or something"

"Not eating for long periods of time is not healthy Sasuke-kun"

"Well neither are food pills" I remember how they can give you energy for a couple of hours, only to feel like hell later.

"Oh that, they are from my own recipe, not as strong as the traditional ones but with the same nutrients" She says offering the pills once more.

I reluctantly take the pills from her hand, and with a hopeful expression she watches me eat them, they don't taste like regular food pills, more like… pudding.

"Egh… too… sweet" I say when I finished chewing

"Hmp, you are such a baby… Sasuke-kun" She says with look I've never seen before and a smirk on her face then turns the other way. I'm speechless, I don't know how I feel, my face is burning up, I don't think I've ever blushed in my life before, but I imagine my face looks like a tomato right now, she looked so… flirty… so… as Naruto would put it… _sexy_. I never thought I would use that word but no other descriptions come to mind.

I swallow the rest of the food pills without even noticing.

"Good boy, you ready?" Sakura asks.

I should be angry, she's talking to me as if I was a kid, but I can't seem to concentrate on her words, her eyes, her smirk are way too distracting. _Soooo confusing._

Maybe she has developed multiple personality disorder in my absence. That seems to be the most logical situation.

 **I apologize for taking this long to update, and if you are still reading, thank you! I plan on advancing the plot a lot next chapter so hopefully it will come out alright. Please let me know what you think! :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**SASUKE**

"Come this way" I tell Sakura, taking a small detour on a road on the opposite direction we are to take. She follows me without complaint. We have been traveling all day on only a few hours of sleep and a couple of horribly tasting food pills. _She needs rest, I can see it_.

"Where… are we going?" She asks a couple of minutes later.

"There is a small inn around here, we should sleep there tonight and continue on the road tomorrow" I explain to her.

"Ammm… I guess I am pretty tired, but… we might have to speed up tomorrow ok?" She tells me, obviously debating whether or not listen to me.

I remember this place, I spent a couple of nights here, once when in search for Itachi with Taka and again the last time I visited Land of the Waives. This is one of the places where I knew my redemption journey made sense, it looked so different one time from another, yet nothing had changed, I just wasn't looking.

It's small and humble, but it has the best view of the ocean this side of the land. Nobody sees it unless they are looking for it. It's amazing how fast the scenery changes from forest to beach.

"Wow it's… beautiful" Sakura says, her eyes wide, taking everything in.

"Hn" and beautiful it is. The sea is eating the sun and the sky has taken a pink color in sunset, almost the same shade as her hair. "It will be faster if tomorrow we travel by the woods again, well see the ocean again in two days".

"Yeah… but it won't look like this…"

"Hn"

* * *

We eat dinner in the inn's restaurant, it's been years since I had such pleasant meals, I'm surprised Sakura still has questions to ask, but we keep talking and it gives me a strange sense of peace, I guess it all comes with Sakura's presence.

"We need two rooms for the night" I tell the inn keeper. Sakura's eyes are glued to the window, still admiring the ocean.

"I'm sorry sir, we only have one room available" He says.

"No! we can't!" Sakura suddenly snapped. Turning red in the face.

"And why not?" I ask, I really don't see a difference in sleeping next to each other in the woods or a room.

"Ano… emm… I… don't know" She responds.

"Well take it" I tell the inn keeper without giving Sakura another look.

Once in the room Sakura keeps fidgeting, playing with her hair or the hem of her shirt. _She's nervous, I guess._

"Do you want to take a bath first?" I ask her, _maybe that will relax her a bit._

"Yes! I do! I… mmm… I be right back" Sakura says, gathering her things and entering the bathroom.

She's only been gone for a few minutes when I notice she didn't close the door. _I wonder if she knows._ No, that sounds like something Karin would do, Sakura… Sakura is not like that…

I can see her, she seems to be waiting for the water to warm up, and well… she is… _naked_ …

 _I shouldn't be looking, what the hell is wrong with me?!_ I can only see her back side, but it's enough to warm my face up and send my blood to places I shouldn't be thinking about in this moment. She disappears further into the bathroom a moment later, but it's too late, the image has been recorded in my brain forever because of my sharingan, which may or may not have been activated on purpose.

I haven't moved from the spot I was seated at when she emerges from the bath, hair still wet and already dressed in sleeping clothes.

"Sasuke-kun, I ran the water for you too" She says.

"Hn"

"Is that blood on your shirt?!" She asks, getting close to examine my face.

"NO! it's not" I say. _What the hell?! Nosebleed?!_

"Yes it is, what happened?!" Her voice is full of concern…

"I… bit my tongue…" I tell her the first thing that comes to my mind.

"Off?" She giggles. Her hands are on either side of my face now. _This is really not good._ "Open up let me see"

"It's fine" I tell her, grabbing her wrists to remove them from my face, but I can't, she is so close to me now, I am lost in the sea of green that are her eyes, and my body moves on its own. _I shouldn't… I really shouldn't._

"Sasuke-kun…" She half gasps when I release her wrists and wrap my arm around her.

"Just… stay quiet for a moment" I say, fully intending to enjoy this moment.

"Sasuke-kun…" She puts both her hands in my chest. "There's this thing… I have to ask you… I have to know…"

"What?" I ask without letting her go.

"I… I… just… the…" Sakura says then sighs. "Nothing" She completes, while wrapping her arms around my waist.

She has something to tell me, and it's not that I don't care, but I do fully intent to enjoy this moment.

* * *

.

.

 **SAKURA**

It took us five days instead of the usual four to get to Land of the Waives, five non-days of deep conversations, awkward moments and shared everythings with Sasuke. We talked about everything, we talked until there wasn't any more to say and then some more. Of course I don't mean that literally, there is one thing I have left to ask him, but I can never seem to find the right time to do it _. I'm too much of a coward. I'm a bad person… he's taken… and I… don't care…_

 _I'll get to it eventually; I just have to gather the courage…_

"We should be about three hours away from the village now, there's a stream we have to follow up ahead" Sasuke says, pulling me out of my thoughts.

"That's great Sasuke-kun! I'd like to wash up before we get there" I tell him.

Sasuke turned to look at me for a split second before turning the other way, the tips of his ears lightly pink.

"I'd like that too…" He finally tells me.

After a couple more minutes of walking we arrive at the stream, it is not as big as I imagined, but it will do just fine for a quick bath, the water looks crisp and clear makes me just want to jump in.

"This water comes from the mountains near the village, if we follow it we should get directly to the village"

Sasuke bends over to fill his canteen with water, I'm right behind him taking off my shoes to walk a little on the water when I detect a smell I have only experience once before. Even though it is very faint it makes my stomach turn, I'm not sure whether it is because of the chemical smell or the memories that come with it.

"STOP STOP STOP!" I yelled at Sasuke before he can put the canteen to his lips.

"What happened!?" He says, red eyes suddenly look at me, panicked.

"Just… just don't go near the water ok?!" I tell him, barely registering what I say, I'm too occupied looking for a scroll on my bag. I need to take a deep breath before I'm able to properly summon the contents.

"What are you doing?!" He asks when I get a small amount of water from the stream into a test tube, the concern evident in his voice.

"I created this developer in a lab with Shizune, it can reveal several chemicals in water" I answer while I'm putting a couple of drops of my substance into the test tube. "I just hope it's not… blue _" It did turn blue._ "It's positive…"

"Sakura… you're still not telling me what the hell is going on!"

"The water is contaminated" I reply finally, my voice a little over a whisper. "This is… this is the same drug Kido used when trying to recreate the sharingan… I… I… don't"

"That is not possible, I burned the lab, Kido was…" Sasuke's voice drops almost to a whisper then stops, almost as if he is not able to complete the sentence.

"Dead, I know" I finish for him.

I have no idea how is this possible, Konoha made sure anything related to Kido's research was destroyed, every last piece of evidence eliminated to avoid exactly this, yet here we are.

"I need to get to the village immediately" He tells me.

"Wait… "I"?" I answer incredulous, _what? does he want me to return to Konoha?!_

"Yes, you're going back to Konoha, tell Kakashi I'm going to take this from here" He says, dead serious.

"You are kidding me right?! Sasuke there are sick people in this village, they need me! In case you haven't heard I'm the best medic pretty much anywhere, I can't just turn around and leave them! Besides this is personal and I'd like to deal with whoever is doing this with my own hands"

"Sa-ku-ra" He warns, his voice is deep and he is enunciating every syllable on my name, _just the way I've always liked_ , and I know if this were a different situation I'd be melting. "This is serious! I can't do this with you here!"

"People need me! YOU need me! And I'm not going anywhere!" I know it might sound like I'm just being stubborn, but it's true, he has no idea how to identify the drug or the components or track its source.

"Sakura… I can't…" He says, visibly struggling with how to express himself. He is looking at the floor, then at his hand, then at me. "I can't go through this again…"

"Sasuke-kun…"

"You have no idea how hard it was when I heard you were taken… I can't risk losing you like that" He says, his eyes full of honesty and pain, I can barely believe what I'm hearing. "That's why you have to go back, NOW!"

I was rendered speechless by his previous statement, but having him try to order me around like that, makes me see red.

"Sasuke" I take a step toward him lightly touching the tree he is standing next to. "I am not weak!" I say, punching the tree at the same time to make my point.

The piece of wood that connected with my fist completely shattered, while the rest of the trunk just flew in the direction of my punch for what I assume was at least a mile, taking several other trees with it. The force of the impact makes Sasuke's hair go wild, and he closes his eyes to avoid debris in them, other than that he shows no visible reaction to my show of strength.

"I didn't say… I didn't say you were" He says after everything has settled down.

"Yes you did! What happened that time was… I made a mistake, and if there is a difference between You and Naruto and I is that I learn from my mistakes" I say harshly, he flinches when I finish my sentence but I'm too angry right now to feel bad for it.

"I am not going back and you can't make me"

Everything is quiet for a moment, both of us engaging in an intense stare contest, Sasuke is the one to finally break eye contact, he closes his eyes and takes a deep breath.

"Fine" He finally says "But you have to everything I say…"

"Are you trying to boss me around again?!" I say interrupting what he was about to say.

"Sakura…" Sasuke takes a step toward me and then another, until he is standing right in front of me, I can feel the heat radiating through his body _. He smells so good_ … He takes his hand and places it on my cheek, and I can't help but to lean into his touch, his eyes eliminating any trace of anger and irritation I felt before. "Just be careful… please"

"….Ok…" I can't say anything else

"Let's go then"

* * *

.

.

 **Well longest chapter I have ever written... I think... Thanks again for reading TSOOT... Please let me know what you think, do you like where this is going? Do you have any ideas on where the story should go? I wouldn't mind a bit of inspiration ;)**


	8. Chapter 8

**SASUKE**

I'm not sure whether it's been a minute or an hour, an instant or an eternity but I'm finally back to my senses, so I slowly take a step back releasing Sakura from the embrace, my body immediately misses her warmth, my arm's on her shoulder as if to keep her at a distance, but she doesn't move, she just stands there in the same position, with a serious face looking down at her hands. She wanted to ask me something, I remember, but she said did say it was nothing, I guess she's even more exhausted that I initially imagined.

"You should rest," I say making my way to the bathroom after she muttered a quiet "yes".

I make sure the door is closed before starting to undress; I need to avoid making this situation more awkward than it already is. The water Sakura ran has gone cold, I guess it was more than a minute after all… it's all the same for me, cold water may even be better for me right now.

I emerge from the bath a few minutes later; she is already asleep on the futon, curled up in a small space by the edge, more than enough space for another person to sleep in.

A chuckle escapes my lips. Now I know why she blushed before…

I am tempted to just lie down next to her, to feel her warmth against my body again. But no, I sit down on the floor with my back against the wall and settle with just watching her sleep.

I didn't even noticed when I fell asleep.

"Sasuke-kun…" Sakura says softly, I wake up immediately to see her seated on the futon, her green eyes looking confused.

"Oh…am… I'm sorry… I didn't mean to wake you.. I just though you were gonna…" She says, looking back and forth to me, and the empty spot next to her.

"You though I would what?" I ask, just because it's amusing, wondering if she would actually say it.

"He he…nothing" She says bashful, and blushed. It's too easy…

"Get ready… I'll be right back," I say.

I walk to the inn's restaurant to request breakfast.

"What would you like?" Says the innkeeper.

"Omurice, miso, vegetables, and tea" I want Sakura to have a nice meal. "Oh… and a tray, I'll be taking this to the room" I bet she'll like that.

Sakura is getting dressed in the bathroom now, so I set the tray on the small table in the room. I ripped a couple of Sakura petals from a tree while I was waiting for the food to sprinkle them across the food tray. She will like this too.

"Sasuke-kun…" Sakura says when she comes out of the bathroom, ready in her mission clothing and sees the food on the table. Her voice sounds strange, and there is moisture accumulating in her eyes, I immediately think back to what I could have done wrong.

"What?" I ask her.

"It's just… no one's ever…you're not like t…" She says. "Thank you…" She completes and gives me the gentlest smile. And it's just now when I realize, even after everything that I've done, how easy it is to make Sakura happy.

 **STRANGER**

She is here, the medic Konoha sent to investigate the disease. I immediately recognize her, I think about her every time I see that shade of pink. I thought I'd never see her again. I get close, blend right in with the crowd forming around her. She doesn't recognize me though, last time I saw her I was in disguise and using that chakra. But even if I wasn't I doubt she would remember me, no one's ever given me much credit.

Half the village is around her, excitedly, welcoming her, asking questions, etc. They have been expecting her. They were not expecting him though so the other half keeps their distance. They have heard the stories.

Both of them, here, now, seriously how lucky am I?

I can't even believe it. I have lots of things to do, given the recent turn of events. With the right type of plan she should be easy, he might be a little more volatile I need something to ensure that he will stay calm, can't having burning things around.

Finally after all my hard work, I'm about to be rewarded. I know now what mistakes to avoid, I am smarter than him, and the best thing about it, no one expects it. Like I said, no one's ever given me much credit.


End file.
